1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improving the life of molds or elastomeric tooling made of silicone elastomer.
2. Background Information
Molds and tools manufactured of silicone rubber have proven very useful due to their ability to produce fine detail and to operate, if necessary, at elevated temperatures. They are also desirable because of their ability to provide release to many different kinds of materials which are formed in contact with the silicone rubber.
Silicone elastomers have been used to form tooling for the forming of fabric reinforced epoxy resin parts for use in the aircraft industry. One method of forming these parts is by vacuum bag molding of epoxy preimpregnated fabric against a silicone elastomer tool, then curing the epoxy resin under the influence of vacuum and heat. In some cases, the silicone elastomer tooling is affected by the vacuum, heat, and chemicals present during the curing process so that the elastomer degrades, losing some of its weight and shrinking. If the shrinking is excessive, the tool can no longer be used.